Fifty-nine percent of American adults have looked online for health information in the last year, according to a report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (Jay Directo/AFP/Getty Images)

More Americans are turning to the web for medical advice, a new study reports.

Forty-one percent of those who used the internet to figure out a medical condition said that a medical professional confirmed the diagnosis they found online, while 18 percent say a medical professional did not agree with the diagnosis. Thirty-five percent didn’t consult a medical professional.

“Many have now added the internet to their personal health toolbox, helping themselves and their loved ones better understand what might be ailing them,” the study reports, also careful to mention that the study “measures the scope, but not the outcome, of this activity.”

Some other highlights from the study:

- Women are more likely than men to go online to diagnose a health condition.

- Half of online health searches are on behalf of someone else

- 8 in 10 online health inquiries start at a search engine

- Of the US adults who own a cell phone, 31% have used their phone to find health information online.

GlobalPost Special Reports and the Pulse blog are undertaking a fourth year of global health reporting in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation. In 2014, Pulse will continue to provide a steady flow of reporting and information on challenging global health issues in every corner of the world. We will build on our previous projects — Step by Step, AIDS: A Turning Point and Healing the World — and continue to dedicate our efforts to report on health policies set in Washington and how those policies play out in the world.